Shocking video shows Hong Kong man flinging infant daughter like rag doll, before punching, kicking and elbowing her
As man orders child to put trousers on, a female voice behind camera can be heard saying girl ‘could die’ and pleading with man to stop
A 47-year-old father and a 26-year-old woman were arrested on Friday in Hong Kong on suspicion of child abuse after an online video went viral showing a man violently hitting his infant daughter.
The clip, which lasts for about 1 minute 50 seconds, shows the man flinging his daughter back and forth on a bed like a rag doll. He then punches, elbows and kicks the crying girl, who is wearing a nappy.
As the man shouts at the child, ordering her to put on her trousers, a female voice behind the camera can be heard saying the girl “could die”, pleading with the man to “stop hitting her”, but no action is taken to stop the attacker.
An initial investigation by police showed that while the video was recently uploaded, the incident happened in a flat on Yee Kuk Street, Sham Shui Po, in March last year.
Authorities were alerted on Thursday night by a person who identified the girl’s father from the video. Officers inspected a flat in Lok Wah North Estate in Sau Mau Ping after receiving the report.
Dozens of curious onlookers also visited the estate on the same night.
It was understood that the clip, which sparked outrage among internet users, was taken by the man’s 26-year-old girlfriend and uploaded by her friend.
The father was arrested at the estate on Friday afternoon on suspicion of ill-treatment or neglect of a child. The woman was arrested in Sham Shui Po at 8pm.
A police source said the girl was two years old at the time of the attack. She is now aged three.
In June last year, a man and his girlfriend were arrested in connection with another abuse case that happened in Mong Kok, involving the same child.
“No charge was laid against the pair because of insufficient evidence,” the police source said. The viral clip triggered the arrest on Friday.
A Po Leung Kuk spokeswoman confirmed that the girl is under the charity’s care.
“The child will often sense she is in danger and lose trust in others,” Ho said, adding that the impact of the mental trauma from the abuse could be profound.
Ho added that a caring environment filled with people that can protect her and show that they love her, would be crucial for the psychological recovery of the child.
